Fahrenheit 69

So..the big ole' mean ole school board and administration have cut building temperatures by 2 degrees to 69 (although we wonder if the same applies to the District Office). We hear reports of kids and teachers freezing in their classrooms. Maybe now we know why the school board and administration focus so heavily on Reading and Math, and never on Science (until Obama's "STEM program that is) or Language Arts.

You see...all it takes is a little scientific ingenuity to thwart the all powerful and temperature controlling tamper-proof thermostats. It seems that several teachers and students have already Googled their way to toastier classroom. All one has to do is place a cold damp cloth--or better yet, a cloth with ice--over the thermostat. Presto! Change-O! The dumb ole thermostat is "tricked" into thinking that the room is cooler than the setpoint, and the heat comes on. Bill Nye would be quite proud. em>

" My sister’s college apartment had a thermostat with a lock on it so that only the landlord could adjust the temperature. During the winter the
girls taped a bag of ice to the thermostat to increase the temperature in the
rest of the apartment. "

But...won't that impact the budget reductions?!!!

You'll recall that last November the school board approved a "plan" to come up with $1.2M in budget reductions. Built within that November 23 plan were two seemly innocuous items:

1. Reduce room temperatures by 2 degrees; from 71 to 69 in all classrooms and offices. Expected Savings: $ 40,000 (Based on estimates provided by Princeton Energy Resources, $40,000-$50,000 of the natural gas cost can be avoided by reducing the temperature 2 degrees district-wide. Of course, classes may be less comfortable for learning. )

2. Raise air-conditioned temperature by 2 degrees. Expected savings: $ 15,000 Based on estimates provided by Princeton energy Resources, cooling accounts for $150,000-$200,000 of the district’s $800,000 electrical expenditures. A 2 degree increase in cooling temperature should net a $15,000-$20,000 reduction in those expenditures. Classes could be less comfortable, especially summer school classes.

Leveling the Playing Field- The Power Cost Adjustment
Of course....they made these plans back in November and THEN, come January, they release this little unsettling factoid:

"After meeting with SPW&L and WPPI, the electrical supplier to SPW&L, it was explained to us that the Power Cost Adjustment was used to adjust for any needed revenue to cover their costs of operation. One of the reasons that the June PCA was so large was that the amount of [sic]electricitiy used throughout the system was significantly lower than anticipated. Overall, through November of the current base year, we have used about 30,000 KWH less than the same period last year. We have paid about $20,000 more than last year for that reduced amount of electricity. One of the main reasons is the additional cost generated by the Power Cost Adjustment. "
--from a Situation Report submitted by Tom Brooks, Buildings & Grounds
Manager

If the Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) cost us $10,000 (20% of the "projected budget reductions down the you know what) of unplanned costs in November, what do you suppose the PCA will cost us in the the next four months, which include three of the coldest months of the year?

Remember...we only started cutting BACK on the temperature in November. And the more we save on power consumption, it appears the more we PAY on the back end in terms of the PCA.

So much for spending $432,000 on an energy contract for the last 4 years. So much for having an Energy Manager at a cost of over $200,000 in salary and benefits for the past 4 years. That $630K could have bought us a school supplies for struggling parents, a grand piano AND lights on the new sports fields.

Now, of course, electricity isn't all of the cost. There's also the gas cost. But do remember that the thermostat triggers all finds of fans and blowers...so electric power IS involved.

The Problem is the Budget Process
We're not blaming the power utility. They gotta make a profit...right? The problem is that the district needed to make $1.2M in HARD budget cuts. Instead, they chose the route of "soft", temporary "fixes" backed by a wing and a prayer.

But we don't even think you should blame the district. After all...they are only guilty of proposing these unrealistic reductions. It's your elected leaders, the school board, who can't find the time to do a little research...or even offer some independent thought...and back it up by making administration accountable.

Is 2 degrees Really Such a Big Deal?
You know...we hear frequently about how teachers and kids are "freezing" in their classrooms as a result of lowering the thermostats.

First of all...IT'S TWO $#%@ DEGREES PEOPLE! It's not like the kids' snot bubbles are freezing solid.

More to the point, we're betting (confirmed by a highly non-scientific poll) that at least 95% of the kids and teachers set their thermostats at home even lower.....like at 65 to 67. A large number of these kids spend much of their at home time sitting in front of a computer or some other electronic device. How do they stay comfortable enough there to do homework?